Nets are commonly used for a wide variety of sporting activities played on a level, open field. A representative, but certainly not exhaustive, list of such sports includes soccer, field hockey, batting and pitching practice for baseball, throwing and kicking practice for football, golf driving practice and archery practice. Unfortunately, nets for each of these sports have not been seen as interchangeable and, indeed, have, in the past, taken on different sizes and shapes.
The primary users of such nets are institutional users, such as schools, churches and leagues. However, even though these institutional users typically look for ways to save funds, they have found it necessary in the past to purchase a specific net or nets for each sport. It would therefore be advantageous for such institutional users, as well as other users, such as individuals, to be able to purchase one or just a few nets that can be adapted for use with every sport.
Unfortunately, such a universal sports net has not been readily available. Several net designs exist, including frame and net structures. These nets typically include a frame forming a periphery to which is attached a mesh or net material. Some frames comprise a set of interlocking right-angle poles that, when fully assembled, form a rectangular shape across which a screen or net is positioned and into which a sport object can be thrown or kicked. Such frames, however, are typically dedicated to a single sport, usually fairly expensive and complex to assemble, particularly alone. Other frames comprise self-erecting flexible rings that can be folded upon themselves and which are attached about their periphery to a net or mesh. Although easier to deploy, such frames likewise are dedicated to a single sport use.